West prepares for flooding while East Coast in deep freeze

At least four deaths have been blamed on the East Coast storm, which dropped more than a foot of snow in southern New England, caused a former governor to fall on his icy driveway in Mississippi and caused schools in North Carolina to cancel classes Monday.

Forecasters predict temperatures won't get above freezing in much of the state before Tuesday afternoon, a big problem in a place where officials depend on usually mild weather to melt away the ice and snow on less traveled routes.

Two hikers missing for more than a day in the frigid North Carolina mountains without food and water and only a small fire for warmth were rescued from waist-high snow.

School systems across North Carolina went ahead early Sunday and canceled Monday's classes in part because of icy roads, but also because of bitter cold temperatures making it dangerous for children without proper clothes to wait for buses and difficult to keep buildings warm.

In the West, forecasters said flooding from the storm moving onshore and a second predicted bout of heavy rain Tuesday could cause flooding in northern California and Nevada similar to problems in 2005 and 2006 that sent 5 feet of water into warehouses in Sparks, Nevada, and hazardous waste barrels floating away.